College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Digital Convergence Laboratory of Chinese Cultural Inheritance and Global Communication, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China.
Sensors (Basel). 2022 Feb 18;22(4):1614. doi: 10.3390/s22041614.
Driven by advanced voice interaction technology, the voice-user interface (VUI) has gained popularity in recent years. VUI has been integrated into various devices in the context of the smart home system. In comparison with traditional interaction methods, VUI provides multiple benefits. VUI allows for hands-free and eyes-free interaction. It also enables users to perform multiple tasks while interacting. Moreover, as VUI is highly similar to a natural conversation in daily lives, it is intuitive to learn. The advantages provided by VUI are particularly beneficial to older adults, who suffer from decreases in physical and cognitive abilities, which hinder their interaction with electronic devices through traditional methods. However, the factors that influence older adults' adoption of VUI remain unknown. This study addresses this research gap by proposing a conceptual model. On the basis of the technology adoption model (TAM) and the senior technology adoption model (STAM), this study considers the characteristic of VUI and the characteristic of older adults through incorporating the construct of trust and aging-related characteristics (i.e., perceived physical conditions, mobile self-efficacy, technology anxiety, self-actualization). A survey was designed and conducted. A total of 420 Chinese older adults participated in this survey, and they were current or potential users of VUI. Through structural equation modeling, data were analyzed. Results showed a good fit with the proposed conceptual model. Path analysis revealed that three factors determine Chinese older adults' adoption of VUI: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and trust. Aging-related characteristics also influence older adults' adoption of VUI, but they are mediated by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and trust. Specifically, mobile self-efficacy is demonstrated to positively influence trust and perceived ease of use but negatively influence perceived usefulness. Self-actualization exhibits positive influences on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Technology anxiety only exerts influence on perceived ease of use in a marginal way. No significant influences of perceived physical conditions were found. This study extends the TAM and STAM by incorporating additional variables to explain Chinese older adults' adoption of VUI. These results also provide valuable implications for developing suitable VUI for older adults as well as planning actionable communication strategies for promoting VUI among Chinese older adults.
受先进语音交互技术的推动，语音用户界面（VUI）近年来越来越受欢迎。VUI 已集成到智能家居系统的各种设备中。与传统交互方法相比，VUI 具有多种优势。VUI 允许免提和免眼交互。它还使用户能够在交互的同时执行多项任务。此外，由于 VUI 在日常生活中非常类似于自然对话，因此易于学习。VUI 提供的优势对老年人特别有益，老年人的身体和认知能力下降，这阻碍了他们通过传统方法与电子设备进行交互。然而，影响老年人采用 VUI 的因素尚不清楚。本研究通过提出一个概念模型来解决这一研究空白。本研究在技术采用模型（TAM）和高级技术采用模型（STAM）的基础上，通过纳入信任和与年龄相关的特征（即感知身体状况、移动自我效能、技术焦虑、自我实现）来考虑 VUI 的特征和老年人的特征。设计并进行了一项调查。共有 420 名中国老年人参与了这项调查，他们是 VUI 的当前或潜在用户。通过结构方程建模，对数据进行了分析。结果与提出的概念模型拟合良好。路径分析表明，有三个因素决定了中国老年人对 VUI 的采用：感知有用性、感知易用性和信任。与年龄相关的特征也会影响老年人对 VUI 的采用，但它们是通过感知有用性、感知易用性和信任来介导的。具体而言，移动自我效能感正向影响信任和感知易用性，但负向影响感知有用性。自我实现对感知有用性和感知易用性都有积极的影响。技术焦虑仅以边缘方式对感知易用性产生影响。感知身体状况没有显著影响。本研究通过纳入其他变量来扩展 TAM 和 STAM，以解释中国老年人对 VUI 的采用，这为开发适合老年人的 VUI 以及为促进中国老年人使用 VUI 制定可行的沟通策略提供了有价值的启示。
